THE TRANSIT IN THE TOWER - ENGLISH ASTRONOMICAL INSTRUMENTS IN COLONIAL AMERICA

Although by the mid-eighteenth century colonial American makers of mat hematical instruments were producing many of the scientific instrument s required in the British Colonies of North America for surveying and navigation, it was not until after the first quarter of the nineteenth century that American makers had the capability to produce sophistica ted precision optical instruments for astronomy and microscopy. Until then, these had to be imported from overseas, chiefly England, at cons iderable cost and after long delays. Included among them were historic ally important instruments required for establishing provincial and te rritorial boundaries, and for making astronomical observations. Althou gh generally treated with the utmost care while in use, eventually one after another was misplaced, lost, destroyed by fire, or, in one inst ance, carefully hidden away then forgotten until it was discovered mor e than a century later.